Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Another week, another trip to the theater to check out the latest movie release.  Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the latest from writer-director George Miller.  As the prequel to 2015s highly successful Mad Max: Fury Road, I looked forward to seeing Furiosa on the big screen with great anticipation.

Furiosa for me turns out to be the latest film I’m split on.

The cinematography is a solid, plenty of over-the-top action sequences, and a nice smattering of returning characters/actors over a familiar backdrop highlight this one.  Unfortunately, those are the only true highlights or enjoyment to be had.

Over the course of the two-hour twenty-eight-minute run-time, which felt much, much longer, nothing much happens.  Anya Taylor-Joy as the main character Furiosa doesn’t even appear until an hour into the film as we watch the younger version grow up. Even when she does make her appearance, nothing really occurs.  

Essentially what we know about the character from the previous film is rehashed over the course of this one without adding any kind of new information or character development.  A problem that plagues all the characters across the film.

All the characters, old and new, this time are generic, wooden and lifeless.  There really isn’t anyone to hold on/relate to in any meaningful way.  They just slip past with as much impact as anonymous faces in a crowd. 

They as well as the movie itself is pretty forgettable, which I largely did by the time I got home.  A couple of action sequences came to mind but as a whole thinking about this one isn’t bringing up much in recall.

The pacing in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is rough.  The film is shown as chapters and plods along unevenly at best and is just tedious at worst. I spent the bulk of the film bored, fidgeting, and checked my watch at least half a dozen times wanting it to be over.  By the end of chapter 4 I was done with the whole thing so when chapter 5 appeared on screen I wanted to not only cry but do the one thing I don’t do. Walk out of a film. Yes, a big part of that was the call of nature, but an equal if not bigger part was just wanting to go home, get dinner, and knock out a season finale or two of “my shows”.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is at its best during the action sequences although they don’t pack the punch as in Fury Road with the reliance on more in studio filming and CGI. Furiosa definitely pales by comparison not only to previous films in the franchise but is a missed opportunity. It lacks the magic and excitement of a Mad Max film and is as dry and unwelcoming as the wastelands it features.

My split decision:

Visually - Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is an 8.

Overall - Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a 5.5.

#Furiosa

IF

 

Greetings once again from the darkened recesses of my local movie theater. This week I took in the latest offering from writer/director John Krasinski, IF, starring Ryan Reynolds and Cailey Fleming.  I went into this one being a fan of Krasinski and Reynolds figuring this would be a fun, lighthearted, innocuous romp.  IF turned out to be more than I bargained for.

IF is a bittersweet, poignant, funny, imaginative, creative, and emotional coming-of-age film that isn’t a coming-of-age film. It’s a film for everyone that won’t necessarily appeal to everyone.  It’s charming and witty, joyful and dark. IF is one of those seemingly innocent “kid” films that’s subversive, grabs you in and by the feels and doesn’t let go. Definitely a film that appeals to kids with its characterization, but the real audience is adults.

The impact of watching IF hits similar to Christopher Robin, Up, or Encanto to name a few.  As an adult I found myself delighted, entertained, and traumatized from start to finish. 

You laugh, you cry, rinse and repeat. 

If you don’t find yourself thinking and feeling deeply there’s something wrong with you. This one got and has stayed in my head, even costing me an unbroken night’s sleep.

In addition to the previously mentioned stars, IF has an embarrassment of riches in its casting. The Michael Giacchino score is perfection. The production design is amazing. The CGI work beautiful and effective.

Krasinski set out to create a live action Pixar film and he definitely succeeded. IF is a film that is hard to pin down in many respects, but works masterfully, nonetheless. It’s contradictory, meandering, whimsical, inspirational, tough, hopeful, and painful. IF is life summed up in one hour and forty-four-minute snapshot. One that deserves to be seen on the big screen.  And certainly, will benefit from multiple viewings, so I look forward to adding this one to my personal film collection.

IF gets an emotional 10 from me.

 #IFMovie

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

 

The weather is starting to heat up (boo) and so are the summer film releases.  This week’s trip to the movie theater had me taking in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the fourth installment in the Planet of the Apes reboot franchise.  Kingdom picks up briefly where War for the Planets of the Apes leaves off then picks up many generations later as we find out what Caesar’s legacy has wrought.

The good news is with a two-hour twenty-five-minute runtime, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes succeeds in delivering a visually rich, drama punctuated with great action filled sequences. The cinematography is stunning, and the film pops off the screen making for a rich world building experience. 

Overall, I feel Kingdom delivers an entertaining sequel worthy of the previous trilogy. 

Worthy but a lesser film for my money.

The film does drag, and you feel the slow pacing throughout.  There’s also a basic lack of reason/explanation.  I’m not sure why this has become a trend, but Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the latest film to through a bunch a stuff at the audience leaving you wondering about the who, what, why, how for seventy-five percent of the film only to give you a rushed, unsatisfactory answer during the last twenty-five percent of the movie. The result makes for a much thinner, less gratifying storyline.

Adding to this issue for me is the lack of characterization this go around.  We have an all-new group of characters but there isn’t much development or depth given to them.  Things are left very surface level and there’s not a lot to grab on to make you invested in their plight other than the setup of this is our hero so care about him. This is our villain so root against him. A couple of characters started to really pique my interest but are too quickly disposed of so ultimately don’t go anywhere. They’re too flat and generic. 

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes definitely feels like the beginning of a new trilogy and while it works well as an introduction for what lies ahead, it definitely feels hollow.  I liked it but didn’t love it and find that the more I think about it the less taken I am with the film as a whole. This is a tricky one for me.

Taking into consideration for the potential for the franchise as well as the actual film itself, I’m going to give Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes a generous 7 - 7.5

#kingdomoftheplanetoftheapes

The Fall Guy

 

After another long lull in the action, this week I once again ventured to my local movie theater to check out the latest film release.  The Fall Guy is the latest film from stuntman turned director David Leitch starring Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling, loosely (very loosely) based on the 1980s tv series from Glen A. Larson.  I went into this one not knowing what to expect and just hoping for a couple of hours of worthwhile entertainment that justified leaving the house.

Mission accomplished.

While it took me a bit to completely get into this two-hour and six-minute film, it did feel longer, I nonetheless got there and enjoyed myself.  All told, The Fall Guy is light-hearted, action packed, humorous fun. 

The chemistry between Gosling and Blunt makes the film.  The movie within the movie and the “behind-the-scenes” stunt work as well as the actual film’s stunt work is an endearing love letter to all the unsung heroes who make our favorite films so much more.

An absolutely kickass soundtrack, wonderful supporting cast in Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Winston Duke, and Stephanie Hsu add to the joy and fun of this film. As a fan of the original series the nods of homage and the revamped theme song really brought joy. 

There’s not much more I feel I can say without getting into spoiler neighborhood other than while not perfect, The Fall Guy solidly ushers in 2024's summer popcorn flicks. If you’re looking to get out of the house/heat, need to shut off your mind, and just enjoy yourself, The Fall Guy is a good choice. Be sure to stay for the credits to see all the fun behind, behind-the-scenes fun.

The Fall Guy gets a 7 from me.

#TheFallGuy